In a cheeky warning to China, the Navy taking to its official Twitter handle said that India was watching the Indian Ocean region and was keeping a 24×7 vigil in the area.

“From Persian Gulf to Malacca Straits and from Northern Bay of Bengal to Southern Indian Ocean to East coast of Africa, the Indian Navy with 50 ships on vigil 24X7 keep our Area of Responsibility (AOR) safe. Indian Navy anytime, anywhere, every time,” it posted.

Around 50 Indian Navy vessels are currently deployed in sea lanes, including in areas of India’s maritime interest and in anti-piracy operations. The Indian Navy has wider presence in the backyard, the Indian Ocean region, which is also witnessing an increasing presence of the Chinese navy. It also has mission based deployments from the Persian Gulf to the Malacca Straits and from the northern Bay of Bengal to the east coast of Africa and southern Indian ocean.

These are also the areas that have some of the vital Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOCs), which are of strategic interest to India. China, too, has deployed its ships in the Indian Ocean to carry out anti-piracy operations. It has a naval base in Djibouti and is building the Gwadar port in Pakistan, strategically situated at the mouth of the Persian Gulf.